Patent application title: HEAD-UP DISPLAY SYSTEM EMBEDDED IN VEHICLE

Abstract:

A head-up display system embedded in a vehicle having at least one tire is
provided. The head-up display system includes a tire sensor, a speed
detecting module, a host apparatus and a head-up display apparatus. The
tire sensor is disposed within the tire for detecting a temperature and a
pressure of the tire, and the speed detecting module detects a speed of
the vehicle. The host apparatus drives the tire sensor with a wireless
low-frequency signal and receives a high-frequency temperature signal and
a high-frequency pressure signal transmitted from the tire sensor.
Afterwards, according to the received signals, a processing unit of the
host apparatus drives the head-up display apparatus to produce a
temperature image, a pressure image and a speed image on a windshield by
projecting.

Claims:

1. A head-up display system, embedded in a vehicle having at least one
tire, comprising:a tire sensor, disposed within the tire for detecting a
temperature of the tire to generate a thermo signal, converting the
thermo signal into a high-frequency thermo signal, and transmitting the
high-frequency thermo signal wirelessly;a speed detecting module,
detecting a speed of the vehicle to generate a speed signal;a host
apparatus, comprising:a high-frequency receiving module, receiving the
high-frequency thermo signal transmitted from the tire sensor, and
converting the high-frequency thermo signal back into the thermo signal;
anda processing unit, receiving the thermo signal from the high-frequency
receiving module, and the speed signal from the speed detecting module;
anda head-up display apparatus, receiving the thermo signal and the speed
signal, generating a temperature image beam and a speed image beam
respectively according to the thermo signal and the pressure signal, and
further optically projecting the temperature image beam and the speed
image beam onto a windshield of the vehicle for producing a temperature
image and a speed image.

2. The head-up display system according to claim 1, wherein the host
apparatus further comprises a low-frequency transmitting module for
transmitting a wireless low-frequency signal to the tire sensor for
driving the tire sensor to generate the thermo signal.

3. The head-up display system according to claim 2, wherein the head-up
display system is associated with a portable device correspondingly for
unlocking a vehicle lock of the vehicle.

4. The head-up display system according to claim 3, wherein the vehicle
lock is a door lock.

5. The head-up display system according to claim 3, wherein the vehicle
lock is a trunk lock.

6. The head-up display system according to claim 3, wherein the vehicle
lock is an ignition switch lock.

7. The head-up display system according to claim 3, wherein the portable
device is driven to generate an unlock signal by the wireless
low-frequency signal transmitted from the low-frequency transmitting
module, converts the unlock signal into a high-frequency unlock signal,
and further wirelessly transmits the high-frequency unlock signal which
is received and converted back into the unlock signal by the
high-frequency receiving module for activating the processing module to
unlock the vehicle lock.

8. The head-up display system according to claim 7, wherein the
low-frequency transmitting module is driven by the processing unit to
transmit the wireless low-frequency signal to the portable device and the
tire sensor.

9. The head-up display system according to claim 7, wherein the wireless
low-frequency signal transmitted from the low-frequency module is
installed with a coding data, and the portable device comprises:a first
low-frequency receiving sub-module, receiving the wireless low-frequency
signal transmitted from the low-frequency transmitting module;a first
processing sub-unit, activated by the wireless low-frequency signal
received by the first low-frequency receiving sub-module so as to compare
the coding data of the wireless low-frequency signal with a verification
data and when the coding data and the verification are identical,
generate the unlock signal;a first high-frequency transmitting
sub-module, converting the unlock signal generated by the first
processing sub-unit into the high-frequency unlock signal, and further
transmitting the high-frequency unlock signal wirelessly; anda first
power module, supplying an electrical power to the first processing
sub-unit.

10. The head-up display system according to claim 2, wherein the tire
sensor comprises:a thermo detecting module, detecting the temperature
inside the tire so as to generate the thermo signal;a second
low-frequency receiving sub-module, receiving the wireless low-frequency
signal transmitted from the low-frequency transmitting module;a second
processing sub-unit, activated by the wireless low-frequency signal
received by the second low-frequency receiving sub-module so as to
receive the thermo signal generated by the thermo detecting module;a
second high-frequency transmitting sub-module, converting the thermo
signal into the high-frequency thermo signal, and further transmitting
the high-frequency thermo signal wirelessly; anda second power module,
supplying an electrical power to the second processing sub-unit.

11. The head-up display system according to claim 10, wherein the tire
sensor further comprises a pressure detecting module for detecting a
pressure of the tire so as to generate a pressure signal, converting the
pressure signal into a high-frequency pressure signal, and transmitting
the high-frequency pressure signal wirelessly, which the high-frequency
pressure signal is received and converted backed into the pressure signal
by the high-frequency receiving module.

12. The head-up display system according to claim 11, wherein the
processing unit receives the pressure signal from the high-frequency
receiving module, and controls the head-up display apparatus to generate
a pressure image beam and project the pressure image beam onto the
windshield for producing a pressure image.

13. The head-up display system according to claim 1, wherein the head-up
display apparatus comprises:a display engine;an interface circuit,
receiving the thermo signal and the speed signal from the processing
unit;a driving circuit, driving the display engine to generate the
temperature image beam and the speed image beam in accordance with the
thermo signal and the speed signal received by the interface circuit;
anda third power module, supplying an electrical power to the driving
circuit;wherein the temperature image beam and the speed image beam are
projected onto the windshield so as to produce the temperature image and
the speed image.

14. The head-up display system according to claim 1, further comprising a
setting interface capable of generating a setting command in response to
an external operation, wherein the processing unit generates a safety
range according to the setting command, and when a value of the thermo
signal is out of the safety range, the processing unit generates an alarm
signal to make the temperature image to flicker by making the temperature
image beam to flicker.

15. The head-up display system according to claim 1, wherein a safety
range according to the temperature is stored in the tire sensor in
advance, and when a value of the thermo signal is out of the safety
range, the tire sensor generates the thermo signal.

16. The head-up display system according to claim 15, wherein an
additional safety range according to the pressure is stored in the tire
sensor in advance, and when a value of the pressure signal is out of the
additional safety range, the tire sensor generates a pressure signal.

Description:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001]1. Field of the Invention

[0002]The present invention is related to a head-up display system, and
more particular to a head-up display system that is embedded in a vehicle
for displaying the information, such as vehicle speed, tire temperature,
tire pressure, and etc.

[0003]2. Description of Related Art

[0004]Overheated tires are unwanted during driving. But in general,
drivers hardly monitor tire temperature of their transport tools, such as
vehicles, motorcycles, and etc., directly. Besides taking a break on a
drive that lasts several hours for cooling down tire temperature, filling
tires with nitrogen is another way to decrease thermal expansion.

[0005]In addition, transport tools, such as vehicles and motorcycles, are
at high prices and might attract theft. In order to avoid illegal
pilfering, various locks are designed for locking the key positions of a
vehicle, such as doors, gear stick, steering wheel, ignition switch, and
etc.

[0006]Taiwanese patents M317357, M315168, M313237, I239908 and 149143
disclose several ways to display tire temperatures and pressures on a
display panel respectively. However, during driving with high speed, even
though the tire pressures are shown on the dashboard for monitoring as
the prior art taught, the driver often focuses his eyes on the
complicated real-time traffic rather than on the information shown on the
Dashboard except the speedometer gauge. Thus, in practical case, such a
way of showing safety information is ineffective.

[0007]In recent years, some high-class vehicles are equipped with head-up
displays to create a speed image beam in accordance with a detected speed
signal and project the speed image beam onto the windshield so as to
produce a speed image to inform the driver about information of vehicle
speed. The head-up display provides the information about speed image
with a much better view angle than the speedometer gauge distributed in
the dashboard so as to make the driver conscious of the vehicle speed
immediately for ensuring driving safety.

[0008]Therefore, the invention provides a head-up display system embedded
in a vehicle to improve the problems set above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009]Accordingly, the objective of the present invention is to provide a
head-up display system embedded in a vehicle that displays the
information about vehicle speed, tire temperatures and tire pressures
with a driver's optimum view angle, and reduces the product cost by
integrating a burglarproof function into the host apparatus at the same
time.

[0010]The present invention provides a head-up display system embedded in
a vehicle having at least one tire. The head-up display system includes a
tire sensor, a speed detecting module, a host apparatus and a head-up
display apparatus.

[0011]The tire sensor is disposed within the tire for detecting a
temperature and a pressure of the tire to generate a thermo signal and a
pressure signal correspondingly. The tire sensor then converts the thermo
signal and the pressure signal into a high-frequency thermo signal and a
high-frequency pressure signal and transmits the high-frequency thermo
signal and the high-frequency pressure signal wirelessly. The speed
detecting module detects a speed of the vehicle to generate a speed
signal.

[0012]The host apparatus includes a low-frequency receiving module, a
high-frequency module and a processing unit.

[0013]The low-frequency module is activated by the processing unit so as
to transmit a wireless low-frequency signal to the tire sensor for
driving the tire sensor to generate the thermo signal and the pressure
signal.

[0014]The high-frequency module receives the wireless high-frequency
thermo signal and the wireless high-frequency pressure signal transmitted
from the tire sensor. The high-frequency module further converts the
wireless high-frequency thermo signal and the wireless high-frequency
pressure signal back into the thermo signal and the pressure signal.

[0015]The processing unit receives the thermo signal and the pressure
signal generated by the high-frequency module and the speed signal
generated by the speed detecting module.

[0016]The head-up display apparatus receives the thermo signal, the
pressure signal and the speed signal from the processing unit, generates
a temperature image beam, a pressure image beam and a speed image beam
correspondingly, and further optically projects the temperature image
beam, the pressure image beam and the speed image beam onto a windshield
of the vehicle for producing a temperature image, a pressure image and a
speed image to inform a driver.

[0017]Moreover, the head-up display system is associated with a portable
device correspondingly for unlocking a vehicle lock. The low-frequency
transmitting module transmits a wireless low-frequency signal to the
portable device for driving the portable device to generate an unlock
signal. The unlock signal is further converted into a high-frequency
unlock signal and transmitted wirelessly by the portable device.

[0018]Therefore, the head-up display system embedded in a vehicle of the
present invention could improve the driving safety by showing the
information about the vehicle speed, the tire temperature and the tire
pressure with the driver's optimum view angle by the head-up display
apparatus and the host apparatus. Moreover, the present invention could
reduce the product cost by integrating a burglarproof function into the
host apparatus at the same time.

[0019]The objective of the present invention will no doubt become obvious
to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following
detailed description of the preferred embodiment, which is illustrated in
the various figures and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020]The present invention can be fully understood from the following
detailed description and preferred embodiment with reference to the
accompanying drawings, in which:

[0021]FIG. 1 is an illustrative view showing a head-up display system
embedded in a vehicle according to the present invention;

[0022]FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a head-up display system according to
the present invention;

[0023]FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a portable device according to the
present invention;

[0024]FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a tire sensor according to the present
invention; and

[0025]FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a head-up display apparatus according
to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0026]The objective of the present invention will no doubt become obvious
to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following
detailed description of the preferred embodiment, which is illustrated in
the various figures and drawings.

[0027]Please refer to FIG. 1 which is an illustrative view showing a
head-up display 30 embedded in a vehicle 30 according to the present
invention. The present invention provides a head-up display system 30
embedded in a vehicle 32 which includes at least one tire 34. The
drawings take the vehicle 32 with four tires 32 as an illustrative
example. The head-up display system 30 is associated with a portable
device 36 correspondingly for unlocking a vehicle lock. The portable
device 36 could be implemented as a card. In addition, the vehicle lock
of the vehicle 32 could be one or more locks selected from the group
consisting of a door lock 3202, a trunk lock 3204 and an ignition switch
lock 3206.

[0028]Next, please refer to FIG. 2 which is a block diagram of the head-up
display system 30 according to the present invention. The head-up display
system 30 embedded in the vehicle 32 includes a tire sensor 40, a speed
detecting module 42, a host apparatus 44 and a head-up display apparatus
46.

[0029]The tire sensor 40 is disposed within the tire 34 for detecting a
temperature and a pressure of the tire 34 so as to generates a thermo
signal and a pressure signal correspondingly. Afterwards, the tire sensor
40 converts the thermo signal and the pressure signal into a
high-frequency thermo signal and a high-frequency pressure signal, and
transmits these two high-frequency signals wirelessly. The speed
detecting module 42 detects a speed of the vehicle 32 so as to generate a
speed signal.

[0031]The low-frequency transmitting module 4402 is activated by the
processing unit 4406 so as to transmit a wireless low-frequency signal to
the tire sensor 40 and the portable device 36 via an antenna (not shown
in the drawings) for driving the tire sensor 40 to generate the thermo
signal and the pressure signal and driving the portable device 36 to
generate an unlock signal. Afterwards, the portable device 36 converts
the unlock signal into a high-frequency unlock signal and transmits the
high-frequency unlock signal wirelessly.

[0032]The high-frequency receiving module 4404 receives the high-frequency
thermo signal and the high-frequency pressure signal generated
respectively according to the thermo signal and the pressure signal by
the tire sensor 40 via a high-frequency band antenna (not shown in the
drawings). Afterwards, the high-frequency receiving module 4404 converts
the received high-frequency thermo signal and the high-frequency pressure
signal back into the thermo signal and the pressure signal. The
high-frequency receiving module 4404 also receives the high-frequency
unlock signal generated according to the unlock signal by the portable
device 36 via the high-frequency band antenna and converts the received
high-frequency unlock signal back into the unlock signal.

[0033]The processing unit 4406 receives the thermo signal and the pressure
signal from the high-frequency receiving module 4404 and the speed signal
from the speed detecting module 42. Meanwhile, the processing unit 4406
also unlocks the vehicle lock in accordance with the unlock signal from
the high-frequency receiving module 4404.

[0034]The head-up display apparatus 46 receives the thermo signal, the
pressure signal and the speed signal from the processing unit 4406 and
generates a temperature image beam, a pressure image beam and a speed
image beam correspondingly. The head-up display apparatus 46 further
projects the temperature image beam, the pressure image beam and the
speed image beam onto a windshield 38 of the vehicle 32 for producing a
temperature image, a pressure image and a speed image to inform a driver.

[0035]Moreover, the head-up system 30 further includes a setting interface
48. The setting interface 48 is capable of generating a setting command
in response to an external operation, such as actuation of a function
key. The processing unit 4406 creates a safety range and stores the
safety range in a storage unit (not shown in the drawings) in accordance
with the setting command. Once a value of the thermo signal is out of the
safety range, the processing unit 4406 would generate an alarm signal.
Meanwhile, the processing unit 4406 controls the head-up display
apparatus 46 to make the temperature image beam to flicker. Thus, the
temperature image would also flicker at the same time.

[0036]Two additional safety ranges according to the speed signal and the
pressure signal could also be set by the setting interface 48 following
the illustration set above. For example of driving on a freeway, the
safety range according to the vehicle speed could be set as 50˜100
km/hr, the safety range according to the tire temperature could be set
below 70° C., and the safety range according to the tire pressure
could be set as 25˜35 psi.

[0037]Please refer to FIG. 3 which is a block diagram of the portable
device 36 according to the present invention. The wireless low-frequency
signal transmitted from the low-frequency transmitting module 4402 of the
head-up display apparatus 30 is installed with a coding data. The
portable device 36 includes a first low-frequency receiving sub-module
50, a first processing sub-unit 52, a first high-frequency transmitting
sub-module 54 and a first power module 56.

[0038]The first low-frequency receiving module 50 receives the wireless
low-frequency signal transmitted from the low-frequency transmitting
module 4402 by a low-frequency band antenna (not shown in the drawings).

[0039]The first processing sub-unit 52 is activated in accordance with the
wireless low-frequency signal received by the first low-frequency
receiving sub-module 50. Afterwards, the first processing sub-unit 52
compares the coding data of the wireless low-frequency signal with a
verification data stored in a read-only memory of the portable device 36
in advance. The read-only memory could be a stand-alone device or be
integrated in the first processing sub-unit 52. The read-only memory is
well-known and will not be illustrated in detail by a drawing herein.
When the coding data and the verification are identical, the first
processing sub-unit 52 would generate the unlock signal.

[0040]The first high-frequency transmitting sub-module 54 converts the
unlock signal generated by the first processing sub-unit 52 into the
high-frequency unlock signal and transmits the high-frequency unlock
signal wirelessly via a high-frequency band antenna (not shown in the
drawings). The high-frequency unlock signal could be received by the
high-frequency receiving module 4404. The first power module 56 is
capable of supplying electrical power to the first processing sub-unit
52.

[0041]Please refer to FIG. 4 which is a block diagram of the tire sensor
40 according to the present invention. The tire sensor 40 of the head-up
display system 30 includes a thermo detecting module 60, a pressure
detecting module 62, a second low-frequency receiving module 64, a second
processing sub-unit 65, a second high-frequency transmitting sub-module
66 and a second power module 68.

[0042]The thermo detecting module 60 detects the temperature inside the
tire so as to generate the thermo signal. The pressure detecting module
62 detects the pressure inside the tire 34 so as to generate a pressure
signal.

[0044]The second processing sub-unit 65 is activated in accordance with
the wireless low-frequency signal received by the second low-frequency
receiving module 64. Meanwhile, the second processing sub-unit 65
receives the thermo signal and the pressure signal generated by the
thermo detecting module 60 and the pressure detecting module 62.

[0045]The second high-frequency transmitting sub-module 66 converts the
thermo signal and the pressure signal from the second processing sub-unit
65 into the high-frequency thermo signal and the high-frequency pressure
signal and further transmits these two high-frequency signals via a
high-frequency band (not shown in the drawings). The high-frequency
thermo signal and the high-frequency pressure signal could be received by
the high-frequency receiving module 4404. The second power module 68 is
capable of supplying electrical power to the second processing sub-unit
65.

[0046]The pressure detecting module 62 could be implemented mechanically.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,525,655 discloses a diaphragm-type tire
pressure indicator capable of detecting the tire pressure mechanically.
The pressure detecting module 62 could be implemented electrically. For
example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,694,111 discloses a tire pressure indicator
capable of detecting the tire pressure electrically. The prior art
mentioned above is well-known and will not be illustrated in detail
herein.

[0047]It is noted that besides transmitting wireless low-frequency signal
to drive the tire sensor 4402 to generate the thermo signal and the
pressure signal by the host apparatus 44 sequentially or un-sequentially,
the tire sensor 40 could directly generate and transmit the thermo
temperature and the pressure temperature without external driving. The
safety ranges respectively according to the tire temperature and the tire
pressure are stored in a storage unit (not shown in the drawings) of the
tire sensor 40 in advance. The tire sensor 40 keep on working
continuously. Once, according to the detection of the thermo detecting
module and the pressure detecting module, the temperature or the pressure
inside the tire 34 is out of the safety ranges according to the tire
temperature and the tire pressure, it represents that either an irregular
temperature or an irregular pressure occurs inside the tire 34. At this
time, the second processing sub-unit 62 of the tire sensor 40 would
generate the temperature signal and the pressure signal directly and
transmit these two signals by the second high-frequency transmitting
module 66.

[0048]No matter driving by the wireless low-frequency signal sequentially
or un-sequentially or monitoring irregular factors continuously, if the
host apparatus 44 does not receive the thermo signal or the pressure
signal for a long time, the host apparatus 44 would regard the tire
sensor 40 as failed or out of power and inform the user to change the
tire sensor 40.

[0049]Please refer to FIG. 5 which is a block diagram of the head-up
display apparatus 46 according to the present invention. The head-up
display apparatus 46 of the head-up display system 30 includes an
interface circuit 70, a display engine 72, a driving circuit 74 and a
third power module 76.

[0050]The interface circuit 70 receives the thermo signal, the speed
signal and the pressure signal from the processing unit 4406. The display
engine 72 would project an image beam onto the windshield 38 disposed on
the transmission path of the image beam. Thus, an image would be produced
on the windshield 38.

[0051]The driving circuit 74 drives the display engine 72 to generate the
temperature image beam, the pressure image beam and the speed image beam
in accordance with the received thermo signal, the pressure signal and
the speed signal. The temperature image beam, the pressure image beam and
the speed image beam would be projected onto the windshield 38 so as to
produce the temperature image 80, the pressure image 84 and the speed
image 82 to inform the driver.

[0052]The third power module 76 is capable of supplying electrical power
to the driving circuit 74. The third power module 76 could be a battery
of the vehicle 32 and the electrical power stored in the battery is
transmitted to the head-up display apparatus directly.

[0053]Therefore, through the embodiment illustrated above, one should
realize that head-up display system 30 embedded in the vehicle 32 could
show the information about the speed of the vehicle 32, the pressure and
temperature of the tire 34 with the driver's optimum view angle by the
head-up display apparatus 46 and the host apparatus 44 so that the
driving safety would be improved substantially. Furthermore, the host
apparatus 44 is also integrated with a burglarproof function so that the
product cost would be reduced substantially.

[0054]While the invention has been described in terms of what is presently
considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to
be understood that the invention needs not be limited to the disclosed
embodiment. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various
modifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit and
scope of the appended claims which are to be accorded with the broadest
interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar
structures.